As Eren reached the end of the steps, he was met with a grand chamber, illuminated by glowing crystals embedded in the walls.
In the center of the room, a large, ancient-looking book lay open on a pedestal, depicting the images of some men on its pages.
"Welcome, my son, to the heart of our family's legacy," Hubert spoke with a touch of reverence in his voice, as he stood next to Eren.
"The fire dragon Ugram, the guardian of our family, resides deep within the volcano," Hubert continued, gesturing towards a large mural on the wall that showcased the majestic creature in its full glory.
Eren was captivated by the breathtaking depiction of Ugram. Each drawing showcased the majesty of the dragon, the fire dragon was a magnificent sight to behold, with crimson scales and eyes that seemed to radiate power and wisdom.
"As the Pendragon family, we have been the protectors of the fire dragon for generations," Hubert explained, "The dragon has been a symbol of our strength and unity. Its presence has shaped our history and given rise to the legends of our ancestors."
Eren listened intently as his father recounted tales of brave knights and powerful mages who had formed deep bonds with Ugram. They were tales of courage, loyalty, and sacrifice that had passed down through generations.
"Those who are worthy are granted the opportunity to meet Ugram," Hubert said, his eyes filled with pride, "It is not just a mere ceremony, but a chance to form a bond with the guardian of our family and gain its protection and blessings."
As Hubert said so, he folded the sleeve of his shirt displaying a tattoo containing the image of the dragon head.
"The blessing of the Fire Dragon."
With his words the tattoo glowed with a subtle red aura hinting at the power that is hidden beneath it.
"Those with the blessing of the dragon will not be hurt by normal flames, as long as our guardian himself revokes the blessing, we will be immune to most of the flames in the world."
Being Immune to fire!
The sentence seemed ordinary but the meaning behind it was not. There are many types of flames in this world, flames that are born out of nature, flames that are formed using magic and flames of the fire dragons!
What Hubert said meant that the pendragons had absolute defense against fire type attacks; the magnitude of the blessing blew Eren's mind.
To explain it in simple terms, one of the seven sages of the Mauryan empire, the Flame Empress, Sylivia Orianne was a fire-mage, whose most spells include the use of fire spells.
Now imagine her going against Pendragons!
Even if she is all powerful her attacks would not have any effect on the Pendragon!
Even Eren could win against her if she didn't use any other skills.
'Then that means the dragon took back its blessing in my past life?'
It was hard to believe but that was the only explanation, all his family were burned to death, so it was the conclusion he came to.
While Eren was busy with his thoughts, Hubert went forward and picked up the huge book with both his hands.
"This here is a magical artifact that stores the information about the pendragons."
Artifact!
'Come to think of it, it has been a while since the artifact inside me reacted!'
After the incident at the Royal museum, the artifact has been quite. Although Eren checked about the skills he used at that time, the artifact didn't provide any further information as if it is recovering from the loss of energy.
Nevertheless, concentrating on the thing at hand, Eren paid attention to the book in his father's hand.
"This is the Chronicles of Pledge."
He said, turning the pages of the book.
In Each page Eren could see an image of someone whose mouth would be bound together by a three headed spear.
"...."
Eren failed to recognise what it was looking at his father with eyes demanding an explanation.
Hubert smiled at his son and started explaining, "As I said, the Chronicles of Pledge is an artifact which was passed down in our Pendragon family. Every teeneger before meeting the fire dragon would undertake an oath and this book is one who makes sure that they never break it."
Eren still didn't understand what it meant.
"You need to pledge that you will not disclose any matter regarding the fire dragon to anyone outside of the Pendragons, the movement you take a pledge, the artifact will bound your mouth and even if you want to tell something about the fire dragon to the outsiders, you will not be able to do so."
Ereen was taken aback!
The rule of not being able to discuss the matter regarding the dragon with outsiders, it was something that was created to ensure the safety of both the dragon and the Pendragons, but in the current situation, Eren couldn;t pledge that!
He was going to meet the fire dragon to investigate the matter regarding its rampage in his past life, if he found anything suspicious then he was planning to ask for the help of the emperor and the sword saint to kill it, so he found it absurd to pledge as such!
"Now, make your pledge Eren."
Opening an empty page in the Chronicles of Pledge, Hubert extends the book towards Eren.
But Eren hesitated, he didn't know what to do.
He was aware that he wouldn't be able to meet the fire dragon without taking this pledge but he was also worried about the possibility where he wouldn't be able to disclose the matter regarding fire dragon to others, it was a very hard situation for him.
"..."
He looked at the Chronicles of Pledge for a movement while his hesitation deepened, but that is when the artifact that was silent inside him reacted.
[Detected an artifact!]
[The Artifact's level is lower than the host's, it is possible to suppress the effect of the artifact to a certain level]
'I love you artifact!'
Eren beamed as he heard the notification and without hesitation, in the next second, he placed his hands on the book.
"I Eren Pendragon, son of Hubert Pendragon, pledges that I will not reveal any matters regarding the fire dragon Ugram to the outsiders."
As Eren's words ended, his image started to appear on the empty pages of the chronicles of Pledge and a three headed spear pierced his mouth from one end to another.
Eren didn't actually feel something but anyway, Hubert was satisfied and he closed the book placing it on the pedestals once again.
"Now you are ready to meet sir Ugram."
He said moving his hand in a certain gesture, once again opening a secret path which led them from the pendragon's adobe to the fire dragon Ugram's lair.
"Now come along."
Hubert said, walking forward.
As they continued deeper into the chamber, Eren noticed a carved pathway leading away from the main hall. The path was adorned with glowing stones, guiding the way towards the heart of the volcano.
"Beyond this path lies the entrance to Ugram's lair," Hubert explained, "Few outsiders have ever seen this place, and even fewer have met the dragon."
Eren's heart raced with excitement and anticipation. This was the moment he had been waiting for, the chance to meet the legendary fire dragon that had haunted his memories from his past life.
The culprit that has killed his family and razed the whole Pendragon region by setting it ablaze with dragon flames.
There was rage but there was also determination, a firm determination to find out the truth behind the mysterious tragedy.
"Father, I... I'm ready," Eren said, his voice steady with determination.
Hubert smiled warmly at his son, proud of the young man he had become. "I know you are, Eren. Now, let's proceed."
They followed the illuminated path deeper into the volcano, the temperature gradually rising as they approached Ugram's lair. The ground beneath their feet rumbled softly, a sign of the immense power dwelling within.
Finally, at the end of the passage amidst the boiling lava, Eren witnessed the legendary species sleeping with its eyes closed.
—***---
Daily Chapter Release~
Hello guys! Firstly I am sorry that I couldn't keep my promise, I have been caught up with some personal problems, so I wasn't able to give much time to my writing. As I am not a full time author, it is a bit hard to spend much time on writing although I very much like to. I hope you guys understand and I will update those chapters soon.
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